It may startle many of you to know that (Relevant) Building Surveyors and (Certifying) Building Inspectors do not inspect for quality of workmanship or for defects in your new home or new unit. The merely look for compliance with regulations and the like. The Australian Institute for Building Survey...

I left a comment under one of your photos. Looks like a real botchy job so far.

No icecube2017, render is far too thin to be represented on a plan... even a 1:50 scale plan seldom done any more. Even the elevations can miss portions such as in recesses like porches, where in the good olde days, the draftsperson used to do a section to show these areas as well... not any more. B...

Hi jayasooriah, Once you sign that sort of clause you are indeed gagged. The contract must be in keeping with the spirit of the 'Domestic Building Contracts Act, but you'll need a solicitor to help you if you want to make an issue of it. I wouldn't if I were you. The same goes for VCAT Mediations, p...

Look at Worksafe if you do not believe me, but last time I looked Worksafe stated the workers compensation insurance was not an option for sole traders, but was mandatory for employees (I think so that they cannot be exploited by their bosses). Perhaps the time has come to admit that an employee is ...

Hi erecttvantennas, I assume the following: the slab belongs to the garage and was poured after the house walls were in... and that the house has a timber floor (on the right in photo 1). IF so, then I would be very worried about a complete lack of ventilation to the sub-floor along this abutment AN...

Hi milan, The VBA advice on building inspectors (limited to domestic only) refers to certifying building inspectors, who are hired by relevant building surveyors to inspect building works usually at 4 stages of a house construction. The term building inspector is misused to mean building consultant ...

Hi sunny74 Before you go spending lots of money, the width of the crack is the least width because the variations in are invariably attributable to surface non-uniformity. To me the crack seems to be closer to 1 mm and in Victoria this is normally not claimable... at least structurally. The noise (d...

Hi evan_d, If no recommendations for a PC are forthcoming or even if you do get one... a piece of advice... if they are an employee they have to be covered by workers compensation insurance, which means they not allowed to get on and walk around on the roof or get inside the roof space, whereas a so...

Might I suggest that you get a sole trader (experienced and hard-working), because when you are dealing with an employee of a company, the company is obliged to take out workers compensation insurance for all their employees including the boss (at extra cost), and this precludes them from getting in...

Sashley, If you're still in need of the advice, when ant capping is used as the sole deterrent to termite attack, the caps must protrude 100 mm past the edges of the stumps / brick piers and the outer 50 mm of the overhangs must turn down at 45 degrees (often depicted incorrectly and smaller on advi...

I believe all disputes have to go to the DPDRV in Victoria (Compulsory Conciliation). Here the dispute will be conciliated fairly... hopefully. Should either party disagree with the decision however, the party or parties can appeal in VCAT. You (or the pressure from the DPDRV) still have to get the ...

Hi Gadi80, They should also carry professional indemnity insurance for their inspection and report, Cheers Leonardo_23

Hi Gadi80, If no recommendations are forthcoming, you can sift out those who have too many disclaimers to do with access asking the following questions: 1. Are they a sole trader? (sole traders do not have to limit their access as do employees of larger firms). 2. Do they get on the roof? 3. Do they...

I agree that PI insurance (not PII insurance) is a worthy insurance and was one of the few who had it. But in my opinion, placing a requirement on the policy that the building inspection report complies with the Codes AS4349 series is like asking a building consultant to be negligent, as most are in...

As regards thermal imaging, I imagine the cost would be borne by your clients. Hi nicjam, I hope you can see that some people protest loudly when confronted with basic truths... and simply must have the last word... as I warned. By entering the roof space it is pretty obvious where the insulation is...

One thing about you I have noticed is that you must have the last word... let's wait and see. It's not about you!... it's about the consumer getting sufficient knowledge to make an informed decision. And many building inspection reports have a heap of disclaimers... and some do not. That is all.

Hi nicjam, You seem to have started off a fiery debate here... and I will say just the following and leave it up to you to decide. To decide which path to take, you must choose between:- getting a building consultant (sole operator) with PPI who is careful but who will still get on a roof if he cons...

Hi nicjam, My experience as a building consultant (often called many other names) points to their definition of defect firstly, their list of disclaimers secondly and their experience thirdly. The most likely all-round professionals for such a task are builders, architects and possibly structural en...